Palace Museum holds ceremony for 'homecoming' of treasure chest (6)

On Nov. 8, Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, held a ceremony in honor of a treasure chest returning "home" to the main hall of the royal Taoist palace in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Built in 1542, the royal Taoist palace is adjacent to the northwest section of the Forbidden City. The palace has historical, aesthetic and social value, since it has retained its original wooden structures. However, the palace was deteriorating until 2010, when the Palace Museum took over its repair and protection. The project started in April 2015, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

During the ceremony, workers put the treasure chest in a ridged cylinder. As the treasure chest is well preserved, there are no plans to have it opened, though it is likely to contain gold ingots, jewels, spices and grains.

Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, explained that the methodology of architectural archaeology was being applied to the repair of the royal Taoist palace, in an effort to maximize the preservation of the architecture's historic information. Additionally, 20 research institutions and academies also got involved in the repair work.

Before this, Shan disclosed in October that another museum will be built 25 kilometers from the Palace Museum, to make more collections available for public viewing. Construction will start next year. (Photo: Du Yang/China News Services)